


did they never question? (my name means dark too)

by AstrologicalGem



Category: Snowpiercer (TV 2020)
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Eventual Fluff, F/M, Found Family, Friends to Enemies to Friends, Sisters, season two, the engine keeps taking in strays, this shit is a rollercoaster dudes, uhhh idk if this is post season two or during season two
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:48:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25929886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AstrologicalGem/pseuds/AstrologicalGem
Summary: Ruth Wardell is nothing if not a devoted Wilford follower.Or so it appears.
Relationships: Melanie Cavill & Ruth Wardell, Melanie Cavill/Bennett Knox(implied)
Kudos: 15





	did they never question? (my name means dark too)

Ruth Wardell is nothing less than one of Wilford's most devoted followers. She has stood by his side, delivered his messages, carried out his orders. She believed in the man, even when his orders had been more than cruel. 

She thinks, now, that maybe, just maybe, Melanie had been right. Melanie Cavill, the woman who was her best friend, the woman who was now in a Wilford cell with no hopes of ever escaping. They had given her up to Wilford in exchange for being able to begin moving. Ruth had hesitated, at first, and so had Layton, but once it was done, plans for a rescue mission were beginning. The Nightcar was their headquarters; the people of Big Alice were banned from there. Miss Audrey had gladly taken them in; she hated Wilford as much as the next person, and provided some insight to their plans. 

The rescue team consisted of Layton, Alexandra, Bennett, Javier, and Ruth. She remembers how angry Bennett and Javi had been when they found out where Melanie was, how Alexandra had had to explain everything. The team was formed for one mission-to get Melanie out of Big Alice. Yes, she had stolen Snowpiercer and left Wilford to die..but Ruth had no choice, now. She knew how much Snowpiercer needed Melanie, even though she hated to admit it. So she volunteered to break Melanie out of her cell and bring her back. 

That was where Ruth was headed now. She was welcome on Big Alice, and it would be believeable if she were to request the keys to bring the prisoner to Mr. Wilford. She passes the checkpoints, giving the guards a nod and a smile. When she gets to the room where Melanie is kept, she nods. 

"May I have the keys? Mr. Wilford is requesting to see her. He also requests you take your men to His office, in case she causes trouble."

The man at the door hands them to her. "Alright." She waits until he calls his men, and then she unlocks the door.

Melanie sits in the corner of a cell, curled into the wall. Ruth gasps when she sees her. The Melanie that Ruth knew, that was always so prim and proper and smart...this wasn't her. This Melanie had a black eye and hair that was cropped to her chin and looked like she was half-dead. This wasn't her Melanie, this...this was the new one, one that only existed in hell.

Ruth's hands shake as she unlocks the door to the cell. Melanie looks up at her, and begins to stand.

"Wh-what're you doing here? Ruth, you-you should be back home..." When Melanie stands, Ruth gets a full look at her. A black eye, hair cut to her chin, bruises and cuts and scrapes and Ruth thinks she's going to be sick when she sees the blood.

"I came to get you. Come on, there isn't much time..." Ruth grabs her arm, and Melanie lets out a whine of pain. "Layton's meeting us at the checkpoint. Can you walk?"

Melanie yanks her arm back and nods. "Of course I can walk."

"Fine, then. We need to get you out of here." Ruth locks the door again, and looks out into the hallway. No guards. "Come on."

They walk all the way to the checkpoint, finding Bennett and Layton there. It's Bennett who takes Melanie under his arm, Layton who puts a hand on Ruth's shoulder and congratulates her. She is one of them now-there is no turning back from here.

\----

It is a few days before Ruth sees Melanie again. As soon as Melanie was safe on Snowpiercer, she was taken to the infirmirary, and hasn't been cleared for visitors until today. 

Ruth knocks on the door.

"Come in." 

Melanie is in bed, bandaged up. She's got Bennett's jacket on over the hospital gown, but she still looks cold.

"Hey.' Her voice is hoarse; Ruth thinks it must be because of the tears.

"Hi, Melanie..I just wanted to check on you, make sure you're alright.."

Melanie shrugs slightly. "I've been worse. I'll be fine, Ruth..and..thanks for getting me out. I wouldn't.." She looks down. "I wouldn't have survived for much longer in there. Not with what he did to me.."

"Can...can I ask, Mel? What happened, between you and him?"

She takes a breath. "He...was my husband. God, Ruth, I...I adored him. I thought we would change the world together. I had the brains, the smarts..he had the charming personality, the finances..I thought he loved me. We lasted about a year before he hit me. But..I thought it was fine. That it didn't matter if he hurt me, because that didn't matter in the long run. It wouldn't matter when we saved humanity."

"And..and then Allie, yeah?" Ruth looks down.

"Yeah. I gave birth to her, the world started warming..and I started building. Bennett and I began building the dreamliner...Wilford became even more distant. He started screwing whores...I started sleeping over at Bennett's apartment. We said we had gotten divorced, people stopped questioning it. Legally I became Melanie Cavill again; some nights I still went home to him."

"Melanie..."

"And then the world froze. Him and I...I started being with him again. I needed to, if I was going to carry out my plan...we built Snowpiercer; brought Javi aboard. Then...then I informed them I was going to kill Wilford. They agreed, they said they would help. Wilford was to bring my parents and Allie aboard, but..but he didn't find them in time and I pushed him off and..and.." her voice breaks, and she looks down.

"Melanie..oh my god, I'm so..I'm so sorry, dear. You could've told me..you know I would've listened." Ruth places a hand near Melanie's arm.

"But you couldn't have. If you had known, Ruth..everything would've failed. The system, the order..."

"I couldn't give a shit about the order, Melanie. You were hurt. He hurt you. You had to deal with things that you didn't deserve."

"I was no better than him. So much of him was still in me, even now. The clothes, the W on every wall, the pins, hell, even my hair. The way the last seven years turned out, he had so much of a role in it...some people thought I was better than him. I never was. I caused harm. I killed innocent people, I tortured them. And I’ll have to live with that every day of my life.” 

“Mel..” Ruth takes a breath. “Can I hug you?”

Melanie nods, coming closer to her. Ruth wraps her arms around her and hugs tight, and she relaxes into the hug. 

Ruth isn’t sure how long they stay like that, only that by the time she pulls away, Melanie is breathing a little easier. 

“So..that hair..I think Miss Audrey could certainly help you with it.” She pulls a loose strand out of the other woman’s face, and she smiles. 

“Yeah..either that or I might shave it off. Wilford was so hell-bent on erasing my identity apart from him..why not take his tools and fuck it up for him?” Melanie laughs quietly, though it is a pained laugh.

“You could cut your hair like Bennett’s, that would certainly throw a wrench in his plans.” 

“Nah, we’d look too much alike. But I could always try a pixie cut..that’d be nice.” She smiles softly, and reaches her hand out to Ruth. “I’m really happy you came to see me..it gets boring here, usually it’s only me and Klimpt, or Pelton. Jinju stopped by a few times. Bennett and Javi are here whenever they aren’t needed in the Engine..Andre stopped by once, gave me the notes from the council meeting.” Melanie shrugs. “The doctors both say I’ll be out of here soon, once I no longer need the IV.”

Ruth takes her hand and squeezes gently. “That’s good, Mel. Really good, I can’t imagine this train going without her Head Engineer at the helm.” 

Melanie smiles, a gentle one, one that makes Ruth almost feel at ease. “Head Engineer, eh? It feels so weird, you calling me that..”

“I’m not wrong, am I? Your Engine always provides.”

Melanie lets out a dry laugh at that remark. “That’s a new one. I was so used to calling it his Engine..so used to giving him ownership of things he had never owned, like the Engine, or myself..but it feels nice to hear someone else say it.”

Doctor Klimpt comes in. “I really hate to interrupt, Ms. Cavill, but you need to rest.”

Melanie sighs. “Alright. I’ll see you soon, Ruth.”

Ruth smiles, kisses her head, and turns to leave. “I’ll see you around.”

————

It is Melanie who seeks Ruth out, a few days later. She’s healed nicely, the black eye mostly gone away. Her hair has been cut into a pixie cut-courtesy of Miss Audrey. 

Ruth rushes over to hug her. “Melanie! You’re out!”

Melanie hugs back. “I know. But that’s not what I came to talk about..Wilford knows, Ruth. He knows you broke me out and he’ll search this train for the both of us. I’ve talked to Tristan already, he said he would cover for you, take over as Head of Hospitality...you’d come stay up in the Engine, at least for a little bit. Until something else can be worked out.” 

“Melanie...you do know that’s risking the others lives, too? Once he realizes I didn’t act alone he’ll be out for the others.”

“So we’ll protect them, too.”

“And the others don’t mind?”

“They don’t. Now, c’mon, go grab your stuff and we’ll get out of here.”

They head to the Engine in silence. Eventually, the danger passes. Wilford leaves them alone. Melanie never speaks his name, only ever referring to him as a variety of cruel nicknames. Ruth begins to do the same.

Back when they had begun this journey, someone had made a remark about the sisters in teal. Both of them had denied it at that point-they were barely friends, let alone sisters. Now, though, Ruth thinks it wouldn’t be so bad to have Melanie as a sister.

Melanie means dark; Ruth means companion. They certainly live up to their names, and Ruth is forever happy about that.

**Author's Note:**

> Yep, this just ties in a ton of my season two theories! Come talk with me on tumblr @onetrainsnowpiercer


End file.
